I’m lucky. I have a lot of ideas for books. Lots and lots and lots. I just need more time to write them all. As I attempt to wrap up my third book over this upcoming vacation, these ideas have begun to crowd my brain, each one vying for the top spot.

Invariably, I will choose two or three ideas and combine them in some way to create a more compelling story, but I for long time, I thought was pretty set on what my next book would be. It’s an idea that I like a lot, and my wife and agent liked it when I proposed it six months ago.

Then a new idea came to mind about three days ago while I was monitoring students at recess. It’s a slight departure from my first three books in terms of theme and content, but it would be character-driven and focused primarily upon a single character, which seems to be my bread and butter. And it’s this new idea, and specifically this new character, who has been consuming most of my recent mental energy. I mentioned it to Elysha a couple nights ago and she seemed to tentatively approve, pending more details.

Then, on a whim, I sent a summary of this new idea to my agent, wondering what she thought of it. This evening I received her response: